Policing in Ohio
Police accountability and how law enforcement interacts with children have always been at the forefront of JJC’s mission. There is a lot going on regarding policing in Ohio, so here is an update on some of the current issues and how we’ve been working to protect Ohio communities.
HB 84/SB 53
The Ohio General Assembly attempted to enact a law that will lower the eligibility age for police officers from 21 to 18 years old. We partnered with Ohio Families United for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC), and many other concerned parties, to provide testimony and logical opposition against this bill. We worked to educate the community about the harmful effects passing this law would have on our society and our safety. Lawmakers pushed this bill in response to the shortage of police officers in many cities throughout Ohio. However, teenagers do not have the maturity, experience, or proper brain development to make on the spot life-or-death decisions for themselves nor the public. We believe that instead of lowering the age, more effort and money should be put into officer retention, support, and holistic training (including implicit bias training) that would more effectively support agencies with staffing issues. Funds should also continue to be diverted to better and more consistent body cameras, regular background checks that take into account not only physical but mental health of police candidates, and community alternatives to policing that give citizens more tools when law enforcement is not the appropriate option. As of early May, it looks like our efforts have succeeded and both bills have stalled in committee! Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators and used your voice to say NO to this dangerous idea!
Funding for SROs
This year’s budget proposal from Governor Mike Dewine includes $388 million in funding to put a police officer in every school, including private institutions. JJC has worked with other advocates from Children’s Defense Fund, ACLU of Ohio, Ohio Poverty Law Center, and Policy Matters Ohio to hold a press conference in response to this budget request and offered guidance to legislators about the issues surrounding this initiative. Suggestions for more impactful, less harmful schools safety measures include allowing these funds to be more flexible to include more funds for counselors, mental health professionals, building upgrades, or the creation of restorative justice systems within the schools. Schools that do not want to increase police presence within their walls should not be forced to leave much-needed funds on the table. We know that increased police involvement in schools, particularly with Black and brown youth, means more children funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline. We all want safer schools and we believe it is in the best interest of Ohio’s schools to allow the schools to define what safety means to them, not the state government. Currently, we have seen the funds REMOVED from the House budget proposal and redirected towards education, a HUGE victory, but are still working to keep it out of the Senate and the final budget. We will keep you posted on all our social media platforms as the budget process continues.
Random Backpack Searches at Columbus City Schools
Columbus City Schools, in response to an isolated incident, changed security protocol to require random bag searches at all Columbus high schools, though this has already been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Ohio. History and the events of this first week at our high schools show us that these “random” searches will likely be anything but random. Evidence shows us that tactics like these predominantly affect Black and brown students and the consequences will fall on their shoulders. Our Executive Director spoke at the CCS Board Meeting on May 3rd about this invasive and inequitable process, citing the need for actual, evidence-based safety measures in lieu of impulsive decisions that affect not only trust between students and staff, but learning time as children line up for time-consuming searches of their private property and are delayed from entering in the morning. We hope to see CCS return to the drawing board on enacting safety procedures that are more in line with the Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) framework to which they are legally required to conform. To read more about the meeting, click here.
Police-Youth Minimum Interaction Standards
Finally, we are continuing our efforts to encourage statewide adoption of the Ohio Community Collaborative-Police Advisory Board Police-Youth Minimum Interaction Standards. These common sense and bare minimum standards would guide police in how best to speak with young people at their developmental level, creating a safer interaction for both police and youth, and would require more transparency through an annual review of past interactions. We hope that all Ohio law enforcement agencies will want to improve their relationship with Ohio youth and write these standards into their employee guidelines. For more information, please visit: https://www.jjcohio.org/blog/police-minimum-standards